Controversial Club Reign to Open in May

Thursday afternoon, people were cleaning the glass windows at 1021 Peachtree Street, and others waited outside the building located between 10th and 11th streets in Midtown. 

They were waiting for job interviews.

Club Reign -- a controversial nightclub (formerly known as SPI Club) that was supposed to open last fall -- is interviewing people Thursday and Friday, according to an ad on Craigslist. 

The club is set to open in May, according to Angela Johnson with Gidewon Group, the company that will operate the club. The group also operates other large clubs such as Compound in West Midtown. Johnson said she didn't yet have a date for the opening of Club Reign. 

Some Midtown residents are concerned about the news.

I'm disappointed," said Peggy Denby, president of the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance. "Nobody wants it."

The alliance, as well as many Midtown residents, have been opposed to the new nightclub since its application was submitted to the city in 2009, according to Midtown resident Steve Brodie. The Gidewon Group operated the former Vision Nightclub on Crescent Avenue. Residents complained about traffic and noise, according to reports on the alliance website. 

Denby said she expects similar issues at Club Reign. "It's going to cause problems and we'll just have to deal with it."

Brodie, who filed a lawsuit to challenge the city planning department's approval for the club's liquor license, also expressed his concern about the club opening. 

"I'm disappointed that the city and the state have not listened to the issues and concerns of the neighborhood," Brodie said.